But first, you know that song about favorite things? Here’s a verse to jog your memory:

Rain drops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with string
These are a few of my favorite things

If I had written this song (originally from The Sound of Music, as the reader may know), instead of whiskers and mittens, I would have artfully crafted verses using a few of my favorite…flavors. Namely, red onions, cilantro, corn, tomatoes, salt and lime. For me, there is truly nothing better, especially when you combine all those flavors together. You just can’t beat their bright freshness.

With that, you can imagine my utter joy when I discovered the perfect little street snack in Cuenca, Ecuador: Choch. Imagine a small plastic bag filled with different types of cooked corn and beans in tomato broth with red onions, cilantro and salty fried plantain chips on top with a squeeze of fresh lime juice to finish it off. Delicious! All for about 25 cents. I couldn’t get enough of it.

For me, when life’s proverbial dog bites or bee stings, as the song goes, I will simply seek out a snack of my favorite flavors, and then I won’t feel so bad.